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Sports News of Monday, 11 January 2021

Source: sunnewsonline.com

How we made Oyekola world boxing champion - Ladipo

File photo: Boxing gloves File photo: Boxing gloves

But for the intervention and doggedness of the Nigeria Boxing Board of Control, Ridwan “Scorpion” Oyekola might not have emerged World Boxing Federation (WBF) International Featherweight Champion.

This much was disclosed by the president of the NBB of C, Dr Rafiu Ladipo in a chat with Daily Sunsports at the weekend.

Dr Ladipo, who’s also the President General of the Nigeria Football Supporters Club (NFSC), said the WBF president, Mr Howard told him, after watching clips of Oyekola, that he has the potential of becoming a world champion and promised to give him the opportunity.

“The journey started later in 2019. Ridwan Oyekola was discovered by the president of the WBF, Mr Howard, who described Ridwan of having the potential of becoming a world champion and promised to give him the opportunity.

“After Howard’s admission, we started working with him. The planning, the consummation and execution started with the secretary of the NBB of C, Remi Aboderin, working daily to make sure that the fight took place. By September 2020, an agreement was reached on how best to plan and execute the bout.

“At that time, a promoter who was also a manager to Ridwan Oyekola, Shola Ayodele Ford, of Cor-Afrique, applied to the NBB of C, on the possibility of staging the fight. We agreed in principle that we work for a sponsor since the fight will gulp a lot of money,” Ladipo disclosed.

He added that in the search for sponsorship, the NBB of C met with chairman and proprietor of the Ilaji Hotels and Sports Resort, Engr. Dotun Sanusi, who immediately fell in love with the project and agreed to sponsor the fight.